Ruin has come to our family

Soon, the scene was under control. As far as the eye could see, the entire square was filled with people prostrate on the ground, as dense and flat as a field of weeds.

"Good... good... good," Lance said, nodding slowly. He walked step by step until he stood before them. And in that moment, the tone of his voice suddenly rose, erupting in a furious roar.

"I understood your hardship, and so I gave you three days of grain! Is this how you repay me?"

"Was I too good to you? Did you think your new lord was some soft-hearted fool? Do you only listen when the whip is at your backs?"

"Hah? Tell me!"

"IS THAT IT?"

Not a single soul dared to answer his self-replying questions. Only Lance's voice echoed across the square. The raw fury in his roars plunged all those lying on the ground into a state of absolute, dominated terror.

"Those who started this, step forward now."

Lance's hawk-like gaze swept over them. Some, with guilty consciences, instinctively averted their eyes and tried to shrink into themselves. They clearly did not dare to stand, believing that in such a large crowd, Lance could not possibly find them. But Lance, as if he knew every detail, began to point them out, and his men dragged the troublemakers from the crowd.

Soon, more than thirty ringleaders had been pulled out, bound, and forced to kneel in a line at the foot of the statue in the center of the square. Gazing up at the rotting, shriveled head of the Magistrate still hanging from the statue, their hearts were filled with dread. They began to wail and beg for mercy, their cries rising and falling in waves.

But was it not a little too late to be afraid?

"These men will be stripped of their rights as freemen and demoted to the rank of serf, sentenced to penal labor on the farmstead to atone for their sins."

Hearing this, the unruly townsfolk actually let out a sigh of relief. They knew that for their actions, death was the expected punishment at any other time or place. To merely become a serf was a great mercy. In fact, to some, this punishment seemed more like a reward. After all, it was a guaranteed iron rice bowl. There would be no pay, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about starving to death. Some among them had previously tried to sell themselves into servitude and had found no buyers. If only I had known, some thought, I should have...

But Lance's next words immediately extinguished such thoughts.

"The brigand invasion destroyed the peaceful life we all once knew. As your lord, it is my duty to lead everyone in the revival of the Hamlet. Therefore, I will now introduce several new policies to help us through this difficult time. There will be bread, and there will be milk."

With that, after a long speech, the plan Lance had been preparing for so long was finally unveiled.

First, of course, was to bring down the price of grain. Since he now controlled most of the grain in the town, Lance could ignore all obstacles and, with a single decree, return the prices to what they were before the brigands came. The era of a single pound of black bread costing a copper piece was gone for good. Unfortunately, the public's reaction to this was muted. It didn't matter how much it cost; they couldn't afford it anyway. They had no money.

Next, Lance announced his second policy: the first phase of the town's reconstruction. This project would create a host of new jobs. In addition to a few specialized trades, he would be hiring a large number of unskilled laborers who only needed to provide their strength. The pay included a morning meal, and wages would be settled daily.

This was what finally gave the townsfolk a real sense of hope. If they worked, they could live. It was their most basic desire, but one that had been so difficult to achieve before now.

Lance did not stop. Riding the wave of the crowd's enthusiasm, he promulgated new laws. Criminal acts such as theft, fighting, and murder would be met with a heavy hand. He also began to regulate their daily lives, for example, by prohibiting the random dumping of excrement. It was to be managed centrally and used for compost. Violators would be severely punished, with fines for first offenses and penal labor on the farm for repeat offenders.

It all boiled down to three things.

First, stabilize the price of grain so people could afford it.

Second, create a large number of jobs so people could earn money and have work to do. If they worked, they could live.

Third, crack down on crime and establish order.

These seemingly simple words were backed by Lance's control over the Hamlet's food supply and his substantial treasury. Without them, his words would have been empty.

With these measures in place, the townsfolk were no longer so lifeless. To be honest, no one wanted to live like this; they had only been forced to by despair. When they could not even guarantee their own survival, talk of anything else was just a hypocrisy. But now, their lord had given them hope for survival. And so, they were no longer an unruly mob, but their lord's loyal subjects.

Lance was very satisfied with their reaction. He had no experience in governing others, so this was a massive, costly social experiment. Whether he would become a wise lord or a failed heir would be decided by this.

But he was not yet finished. Lance went on to announce another major piece of news.

Conscription.

"To protect the Hamlet, I will form a new army. Anyone who joins will receive three meals a day. Besides bread, there will be meat to eat and milk to drink. If you successfully complete your training, each soldier will receive a salary. Your families will receive a discount on their taxes, and will be given priority in hiring for the lord's public works. If you should fall in battle, the lord will provide a generous pension to your family, and your children will be raised under the lord's care until they reach adulthood..."

The benefits Lance described successfully captivated everyone. They had never heard of such policies. In the past, being conscripted meant you had to bring your own rations and equipment, to say nothing of getting paid. And to think it would bring so many benefits to one's family, and even a pension after death... It was unheard of. When the brigands had invaded, the militia was hastily conscripted, given a little training, and then thrown onto the battlefield. If you died, you died, and no one cared.

And now, this lord was offering such an incredible deal. Everyone was incredibly eager to learn more.

But alongside the benefits came strict requirements. First, candidates had to be between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five, with no physical disabilities. Those who met the conditions would still have to pass an assessment to be preliminarily accepted. And that was not the end of it; it was only the beginning. After the initial selection, there would be an elimination system. They would have to endure harsh training, and those who performed too poorly would be cut.

Lance called over Dismas and Barristan to handle the selection. One could spot the lazy street-rats, and the other, with his military background, knew who was more suitable for an army.

They needed to select fifty men from a population of over eight hundred. That was about one in sixteen. It was not a difficult task in terms of numbers, but if they were to focus on quality, it would be another matter. Most of the men had died at the hands of the brigands. What remained were mostly the old, the young, and women. And so, the final fifty recruits were all, in essence, children, fifteen or sixteen years old. Not a single one was over the age of twenty.